Where I live, people pay $500 for adopting small breeds all the time. Last summer when I was at the pet store looking for some supplies, a woman and her entire family including a little girl was in the store also. They had with them a cobby little boy slightly shorter in height and length than my girl who was then only a skinny leggy 4.13 lbs. He looked pure without a foxy face and was adopted out as pure from the local S.P.C.A. I couldn't see his eyes because of his long bangs, but his head of hair was shiny with a thick coat of black on his back. He was calm and non-yappy, tail docked. He costed just as much. If I recall correctly, she had informed me that she had only just walked in and adopted the boy at the S.P.C.A. for $550 just before stepping into that pet store. He had also been owner surrendered reason being she was moving out to another country. But then again, it's hard to tell the truth behind that as that's an easy line I'm sure many people use. This was when our dollar was on par to the USD.
That being said, it's not a strange occurrence over here to pay more for adopting from a shelter/rescue than it is to buy one from a listed ad in the paper. The same applies for kittens. Only for the latter, it is MUCH cheaper and quite often "free" while shelters charge $120+ for adopting a kitten and some young adult cats. The 7+ year olds are free to a good home.